


One by One

by itsaroosterteeththing



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Murder Mystery, RageHappy, Whodunnit, achievement hunter - Freeform, roosterteeth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-08
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2017-12-31 22:06:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1036907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsaroosterteeththing/pseuds/itsaroosterteeththing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin finds a Murder Mystery Experience and wants to take an Achievement Hunter day out!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tippity Toppers

**Author's Note:**

> GO HERE: http://www.texashauntsociety.com/abandoned.html (First one under the Palestine heading)

“But we have to go!” Gavin whined to Michael, who groaned audibly at the young man next to him.

“We don’t have to do anything, asshole, perks of being American” Michael swivels in his chair, turning to face him directly. “What even is it you want to do?”

“It’s called a Murder Mystery!” Gavin emphasised the last words, his eyes going wide with his enthusiasm. Michael rolled his eyes. Ryan, from his position on the couch looked up at the mention of it.

“You mean those places you go to and they ‘kill’ you off one by one?” He asks. His usual deep tone filled with curiosity. A very similar voice comes from just behind Michael and Gavin, Jack turned around too, suddenly interested.

“Yeah, I heard those things cost like 70 dollars each or something, right?” Jack added, resting his elbows on his knees, looking at the three of them. Ray made some joke about the rules for Puerto Ricans in a place like that. It seemed as if everyone was interested in Gavin’s stupid idea, even Geoff put in a good word, saying that there was one just in Houston that he’d heard about.

“Brilliant! We’ll all go right?! We can have Lindsay and Caleb taddle along too, an achievement hunter day out!” Gavin exclaimed leaning back in his chair, fairly proud of his idea. That smug bastard. Michael groans again and throws his hands in the air.

“Okay, Okay. We should go.” Michael sighs but laughs when he looks over to Gavin and sees him spinning on his cheer, whooping.

“Sorted! We should book it now for the day after tomorrow!” Gavin squealed, closing his editing software and heading to the website. No one much paid attention to him after that, not until he turned around 15 minutes later having announced that he had booked everyone in, including Lindsay and Caleb and that they should just give him the money.

“Trusting Gavin? With money? This has to be a suicide mission” Ryan laughed, already heading for his wallet.

“No, you silly todger” Gavin laughed, as if the notion was completely ludicrous. Michael just tells him to fuck off, but gives him the money he asks for. He’ll tell Lindsay later. He think she’ll actually enjoy it, sounds pretty fucking interesting, although Gavin’s plans always turn to shit somehow.

“So where is it? Houston?” Michael asks, curious. Gavin had brought up his software again and he was about to start work before caught in Michael’s question.

“No, this one’s in Palestine!” Gavin grinned back, swivelling on his chair.

He badgers on about it all day, never ceasing his incessant rambling about the location, saying it’s some abandoned Memorial Hospital, it has reports of being haunted, all the usual bullshit you’d expect to hear about it. Gavin made sure that it was a known thing, even going as far as to organise who was going to be driving who. Michael had never seen Gavin put so much effort into anything. It was quite funny actually, watching him getting all worked up about something so trivial.

He even texted Michael all that night, confessing about how excited he was for it. Michael posted it to Twitter, saying something about how adorable his ‘boi’ was when he was excited. As it turned out Lindsay was excited about it as well, and even speculated in what ways some of us would ‘die’ some of them were outrageous, like Ryan being murdered by a cow sent from hell, and others were worryingly creative and terrifying.

The following day at work was pretty darn slow, however Michael guessed it was the excited atmosphere that buzzed around the office all day, everyone was on the edge of their seat, talking about the experience and placing bets on who would be the first to die, not surprisingly Gavin was their number one choice, much to Gavin’s disappointment. Gavin finished his editing and they managed to get that day’s Let’s Play up. A few more were filmed and Gavin managed to spill everything down him, not all that surprising really.

When everybody went home there was the continuing electric buzz, everyone was texting and Tweeting everyone. Finalising details and making fuel prep. Michael helped Lindsay make their own little lunches for the journey. 3and a half hours was a lot of driving, and they’d only have one stop off for Gavin to go piss. Everything was agreed upon, and everything was set to such preciseness that not even Gavin could fuck it up. All he had to do was wake up. Everything else would be done for him, as made sure of by Geoff. The Memorial hospital was on an intersection between S. Royall St and E. Brazos St, according to Gavin it was run down and had thousands of ‘Ghost Hunters’ inside of its walls, and each one came away with conclusive evidence.

It was nearing Midnight and sleeping was hard. Excitement drew these sorts of things from Michael, making him have a restless night. Lindsay, however, slept unbelievably well, to the point where it almost pissed Michael off how easy she was finding this. Eventually sleep did take him and he drifted off here and there, but he slept nonetheless.

Morning brought some refuge for Michael, today was the day. He and Lindsay take a shower together, and murmured together quietly about the trip, about being stuck in a car with Gavin all day, and Michael have to drive it all. At around 11am they were both ready to head out to grab Gavin, who was waiting excitedly for them. Ray had come along with Michael; living in the same apartment block really helps with these kinds of things. Gavin was waiting excitedly on the door step for them. Geoff, Caleb, Jack and Ryan were already sitting in their car and had been waiting for Michael. At last everyone was in the car and Michael pulled out ahead of Geoff, Gavin turning on his GPS, although Michael knew fairly well how to get to Palestine, he’d never been to wherever the fuck Gavin was taking them and needed some help.

About an hour into the journey everyone is still excited and babbling nonsensically, Lindsay passes Michael over one of the sandwiches they made the night before, and the amount of times Michael came close to choking because of his laughter was ridiculous.

There was a lull in their conversation, however, and Gavin took this chance to speak up – well, more profoundly than he had previously.

“The ghost stories of that place is bloody mental, you wouldn’t believe it!” He begins his voice shrill with excitement. “Like, the patients roaming around the halls, and stuff, bloody bonkers.” Gavin goes on; looking at everyone to make sure they were listening. “Apparently there’s one old geezer going about strapped to a wheelchair looking for his wife, and apparently?” He looks around again, building tension in the car. “Apparently he’ll be heard moaning and weeping through the corridors, crying for his beloved who died days after him. The Intensive Care Unit is supposed to be the worst, hearing people gobbing off and a heart monitor flat-lining too.” Gavin finished; the whole car silent.


	2. 2spoopy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere in this are the words "2spoopy" mentioned, I am so tired, send help

Gavin had assured us that the owners of the building would arrive soon, having already waited close to forty five minutes for them to arrive. He said that there were two owners, a man and his girlfriend, Michael Burns and Ashley Jenkins. All Gavin said was that they would turn up and give away the keys. They wouldn’t tell us anything about the tour, even going as far as denying a tour if even asked about it. Gavin liked that, saying it added to the mystique of the whole experience. He had been correct because just as Michael was about to scream and swear and say he was going to book some ‘fucking hotel’ so he could relax, a car pulled up just in front of them. A rather well built man climbs from the car. Stubble lining his cheeks, short, tight curls clung to his head. From the passenger side, a petite but tall female pulled herself out of the car, emitting feelings of joy and happiness; she smiled a lot it seemed. The female, who we all assumed was Ashley, stayed by the car door, not approaching the eight of them.

“Hey, guys. You already know what’s happening, right? Great! Here’s the keys and try and not get too spooked.” The man passes the keys to Gavin and turns back around in one swift movement, sliding into the driver’s seat before calling out the window to them. 

“Good luck in their guys!” The car sped off into the distance and everyone turned to look at each other, chatter breaking out between people. Gavin, Lindsay and Michael all grinned to each other and Gavin almost immediately ran around the fence, headed for the door.

“Wait up, asshole - don’t go in without everyone.” Michael laughed, reaching the top flight of the stairs, and looking back to make sure everyone else had followed them.

“Everyone has their flashlights, right?” Ryan called back, looking at everyone while they held their flashlights up for him to see. Ryan nods and Gavin puts the old rusted key into the door, having to shake it a few times in order for it to sit comfortably in the keyhole. Gavin turns the key and opens the door into the dilapidated building. 

The atmosphere immediately fell to nothing more than a disturbingly cold chill running its way through them, the last flicker of light disappears as the door closes and all of a sudden, the only light they have is lit by their flashlights, the windows had been boarded up a long time ago and now only allowed a dim slither of light through their cracks. The ground was littered with broken and long since cleaned tiles, they lay broken one over another amongst the dust and the rubble of what seems to be an incredibly unstable ceiling, the walls were peeling and rotten, with patches of black mould growing grotesquely from seemingly random areas. From where the eight of them stood, it opened up into an impossibly long hallway that seemed to open up into what once was a reception area, until then there were rooms on either side of the hallways; heavy, rusted doors that looked as if they hadn’t even been looked upon for decades.

The entire interior brought upon them an eerie and ominous sense of doom that no one could get rid of easily. It seemed that even the shadows had shadows hiding within them and every corner hid some terrifying riddle that was not to be solved quite yet. The dust on the floor had not been disturbed in years and each step the eight of them took brought up clouds of the stuff. The darkness seemed to engulf them and swallow them whole without hesitation; the only reprieve from the darkness was the light from their flashlights that sliced through the dark like a knife through butter. A heavy feeling of fear and terror filled their stomachs and a quiet falls over them in a thick cloud.

The silence is torn apart and the sudden bout of noise to their left immediately made them turn without a seconds thought, some gasps could be heard before a flashlight fell upon a rat that had managed to topple a particularly high tower of broken and useless tiles - a sigh of relief before they turn their attention forward again, they take a few steps and their footfalls echoed loudly off of the slowly decaying walls.

“Fucking creepy” Geoff murmurs, but the sound bounces all around them and appears fifty decibels louder than he actually spoke. They reached the reception and other than their slowly weakening beams of light there was no light at all. The darkness seemed to be lurking, or there was something lurking in the dark. There’s a scuffle of feet and everyone’s pushed into each other. “Incredibly fucking creepy” Geoff finishes. 

Glances are shared before they look around the room. It was a large rectangular room with a single desk sitting in the centre, old papers and documents left scattered over the old desk, as if the hospital had been abandoned suddenly, without time to remove all of the paperwork. There’s a log book and various other desk appliances that looked so fragile they would fall apart at the touch.

It doesn’t take long for their torches to go out, the batteries failing especially quickly, much to everyone’s surprise. Now caught in complete darkness they keep each other close, no one being left behind. They can all feel it, the feeling of being watched, of being calculated and evaluated, the feeling buries itself under their skin and crawls all over them. There’s a sudden silence before there’s a struggle. 

Without any lights it’s impossible to see what’s going on, but there’s a definite struggle taking place. They all turn frantically calling out for their friends, looking for who’s missing. Michael almost trips over Lindsay, or he thinks it’s Lindsay, and Geoff is positive he steps on Ryan’s foot, well as positive as one can be when Ryan complains about his foot. There’s a moment that seems so quiet amongst the loud confusion, and in that silence, there’s a moment where they’re sprayed with something wet, something hot. The unmistakable sound of dragging and a door slamming to their far left makes them jump it chills everyone to the bone. Once the havoc is over and everything seems deathly calm and quiet they do a roll call, Michael leading it.

“Geoff?”

“Here”

“Lindsay?”

“Over here”

“Ray?”

“The Puerto Rican is safe!”

“Gavin?”

“I’m top”

“Ryan?”

“Got it”

“Jack?”

“I’m here.”

“I’m here” Michael says and thinks for a minute, wondering who he’s forgotten.

“Caleb?” Geoff calls out, and they all look around, much to all of their disappointment, they still can’t see in the darkness.

“Caleb was the first to go? Bullshit, I had good money on Gavin!” Jack whines, laughing. The tension was eased for now, their only mission was to find their ‘murderer’ now, and this had not been lost from the Achievement Hunters minds. They wanted that Tower of Pimps and they would try their damndest to get it. No one was exempt from their mistrust, but for now they stuck together.


	3. The Parting of...Rays?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I still think the only thing funny about this is the fucking pun. LOVE IT.

The seven of them appeared to be in continuous and impenetrable darkness. They had moved from the reception in their shock and had carried on down a hallway to their left, passing rooms on their way. Some still had the old and decaying skeleton of a bed. No mattress but there was remaining scraps of metal, rusted and falling apart still. Some rooms had completely intact beds with mattresses, although there were holes ripped in them and it looked as if some rats had maybe made some sort of home between the rusted springs. Not that any of them could see this, there still seemed to be no inlet of light, and with nightfall fast approaching, it seemed they would have to get used to the darkness. Their footfalls could be heard echoed all around and seemed to bounce straight back off of the walls. It is only now, in the complete silence that Michael realises Gavin isn’t beside him, his heavy breathing absent. Michael turns his head, which helped him none, his eyes still trying to get used to the darkness with no avail, However he does hear Gavin’s quick and bouncy footfalls to get back to his side.

“What were you doing?” Michael accuses, elbowing Gavin in the Kidneys, to which he whines and Michael laughs.

“I was talking to Geoff, we think it’s you.” Gavin said matter-of-factly, pushing Michael’s face away from his own jokingly.

“Me? You think I’m the murderer? The great Mogar? I’m hurt.” Michael teases back, laughing. He turns his head forward again while leaning closer to Gavin’s ear. “I think it’s Jack, did you hear how quiet he was when Caleb disappeared?” Michael whispers, the sound still carries, but Michael hopes that Jack didn’t hear it. He didn’t want to be next. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Gavin agrees.

They take the next right and just in front of them they can see light splitting through the darkness from one of the branching rooms. They run quickly into the room and everything is illuminated, the entire room seems to be a blazing white, though in reality it’s more of a dull blue that is moulding and tearing just like the rest of the building. When their eyes finally adjust, however, they look at each other and finally see what it was that had been splattered against them in the struggle. Blood. Dark red splotches are littered over all of their clothes, Michael’s face is matted in the spray of the substance and his shirt is ruined forever. Jack his dried blood stuck in his beard and seems aggrieved about this. Every one of them is covered in it and Gavin seems the most upset by this fact, his shirt absolutely soaking, his bare arms littered in elongated droplets. 

“Aw man, they even got the blood down to a T” Geoff laughs, grinning wildly. “This is some awesome special effects, holy shit.” Geoff lifts his arm to smell the brownish substance and grinning further. “Even the smell is right. Gavin, you did good.” To this Gavin beams brilliantly, lighting the room further with his smile.

“I do try” He says modestly, smirking. 

They gather their surroundings and leave again, their eyes only having just enough time to get used to the light before they were submerged into complete blindness again. Michael kicks a few tiles and curses on his way, the curse floated in the empty hallways for minutes before dying away with a dying fall. Jack bumps into something metallic, the ringing of metal rung for a moment as Jack swore, just as Michael had a few moments before. 

“I think these are stairs” He says, curiosity growing in his voice.

“No shit, Jack, well done.” Lindsay laughs, speaking for the first time, it seemed. “Let’s go down ‘em” She says, already stepping down. The rest follow her carefully, scuffling down the stairs that they could not see. They each miss the last step and stumble into the one in front.

“Guys, this way looks fun!” Gavin said invisible in the darkness.

“You’re a fucking idiot Gavin, which way is ‘this way’?” Michael tells him before his wrist was being grasped in pulled in the opposite direction. Michael grabs onto the closest person to him and this continues down the line just so they all knew which way they were headed, as soon as this had been established they let go of each other and fell into their previous assortment of groups.

“Look!” Gavin squawks again before remembering that – obviously – no one knew what he was talking about. 

“How on Earth are you seeing anything, Gavin?” Ryan mutters before stumbling after the Brit, falling into a thick metal door, it screamed as it opened, the rusted metal giving out a cry as it widened. The rest of the group stumble in slowly, their eyesight slowly taking in their surroundings, but even still the only images they could make out were dark shadows against a faintly lighter background. 

“You think this is where they kept the mental ones?” His voice seemed to have raised an octave higher than usual.

“Maybe, well - I guess this is your home then, Gavin, see ya.” Ray patted somebody’s shoulder, having thought it was Gavin.

“Ray, don’t touch me” Lindsay laughed. “I am the almighty” she continued to joke. 

They soon left the room, however they were now one person short, although in the darkness they did not notice their lacking companion. Not until they walked into an opening, a second reception it would seem. Michael tried to count the black shadows that only now seemed to be growing some features.

“We’re one short.” Michael announces, and to that everyone looks around, “Another roll call?” He suggests prompting Geoffrey.

“Michael, you’re here obviously. Lindsay?”

“I’m here.”

“Jack?”

“Yep!”

“Ryan?”

“Just by you.”

“Ray?” Geoff pauses, waiting for an answer.

“Ray’s gone? Aw shit man, when the hell are we going to get rid of your stupid ass, Gavin?” Gavin takes offence and stomps his feet.

“Now who stamps their feet?” Geoff laughs, rolling his eyes.

A whole chorus of “Babies!” surrounds them, to which they all burst out into hysterical laughter, that of which they don’t recover for a few minutes, Gavin still pouty.

“Aw come on, Gavvers, you know he’s kidding” Michael wrapped his arms around his friend, glad to see that he was actually there and he hadn’t put his arm around someone else. They laugh and Michael squeezes his shoulder.

“So what now?” Ryan asks, looking around at their small group.

“D’wanna split up? Make it more fun?” Jack suggests.

“We could be Monsters Inc.!” Gavin squeals excitedly. They take a look around and there are four directions, back the way they came and three more leading off in opposing directions.

“Two each way, right?” Michael raises an eyebrow before recounting “Me and Lindsay, Jack and Geoff and Asshole and Ryan.” Michael organises before taking Lindsay’s hand

“We’ll go forward, you assholes and fight amongst yourself which way you’re going” Michael says curtly before turning on his heal and Lindsay and Michael were gone.

“Me and Ryan will go left!” Gavin exclaims before pushing Ryan in that direction. Geoff and Jack decide to go right, since they’d already been back the way they came.


	4. Treason of the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm ever so sorry that this is shorter than I usually write! More next week, I promise. I'll see you Friday!

The hallway was cold and dark, footsteps echoing and bouncing off of every wall around them. Michael couldn’t help but wondered what the place had looked like before...you know; it became abandoned and began to decay. He imagined the walls a pure white and the rooms a medical kind of blue, like you would see in the dentist. It’s quiet while Michael walks with Lindsay, a few small conversations sprung up about who they think is the ‘murderer’ in the group and they both concluded that it was most likely the person they expected least; Jack. Jack was the sweetest of them all, literally a friendly giant. Guy couldn’t hurt a fly, never mind a person. It was definitely Jack.

“I’ll keep an eye on him” Michael promised, eyes flickering around, slowly becoming adjusted to the darkness, although there was a relief to being able to see, the rooms became creepier as they passed them in the hall, one by one the walls had visibly lightened – although still dark with mould and age – they had wandered into the children’s ward. The beds were smaller than the ones they’d just passed and old wooden toys sat mournfully in the corner, the ghost of children playing with them still lingered upon some wooden bricks. Michael shivered. Heart monitors stood rusted and broken, but Michael could have sworn on more than one occasion that he had heard it flat-line, he cursed Gavin for putting ideas into his mind.

However there was no mistaking the childish giggle that floated down the hallway from behind them both. It was so sudden and had cut through their comfortable silence so easily that it had left them both with a lingering embrace from a cool breeze that they had not felt a second ago. Lindsay turns to Michael ever so slowly, her eyes wide with shock and fear. The giggle seemed to disappear down the hallway in front of them, leaving them with a ghoulish chill they couldn’t shake. A moment of complete silence falls over them, only their erratic heartbeats could be heard over their heavy breathing. The giggle started up again and this time they both knew it wasn’t in their minds, this was no hallucination made from fear. The sound had grown louder and travelled further down the empty, decaying halls. The sound was filled with a childlike glee; it held an innocence that seemed raw and bare next to the almost psychotic cracks in the laughter. Lindsay reached for Michael’s hand and grasped at air a couple of times before she secured herself to him. Glad to have an anchor to tie herself to.

“They’re really going all out with this.” Lindsay comments, a terrible twisting knot forming in her stomach. She knew that something was wrong here. Her gut told her that this was more than just an _‘experience’_.

“You’re not shitting me” Michael retorts, sarcasm lacing his voice, trying to ease the situation, he tugs on her hand and pulls her forward. “Come on, ignore it. Whoever it is is definitely looking for a reaction.” Or at least he hoped that if they ignored whomever it was that they would just go away.

Michael and Lindsay don’t even take twenty more steps before Michael know his hopes had been in vain because they began to hear heavy footfalls, coming straight towards them fast and desperate. They both break out into a sprint, Michael’s hand tightening around Lindsay’s as they flew forwards When they reach an intersection they turn left and force themselves forward, faster and more and more desperate – just as the sounds behind them quickened in both desperation and speed.

“Here!”Michael whispers loudly and turning them into one of the rooms to their right, closing the door as quietly as they could. Michael holds the door closed and waits, waits for someone trying to force themselves into their current hiding space. They wait their breathing heavy and forced. They each try and take deep, calming breaths, being as quiet as they possibly could in their moment of fear. 

As soon as their ears stop ringing, they notice that the running had stopped, whoever had chased them had stopped, and if Michael listened carefully he could hear their panting, the desperate scratchy breaths that they took in order to steady themselves. For what seemed to stretch on for hours there’s a torturous silence where pain lingers for moments too long. Michael and Lindsay – now having caught their breath – remained silent, waiting with bated breath for their pursuer to go away, to run off in another direction.

Instead, there came a loud banging as they slammed their hand repeatedly against the door, Michael – momentarily letting his guard down with the sudden bout of fear – pushed against the door and mood sure that they could not enter. The slamming continued, like a constant drum. From across the room Lindsay whimpered helplessly, and the moment hung for a long time before the person on the other side of the door finally spoke.

“Michael! Lindsay! Let me in, they got Ryan!” His voice was full of panic and still held a hint of breathlessness.


	5. The realisation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm late! I'm terrible with deadlines!

There’s a sudden flood of relief into Michael and Lindsay that fills out their whole beings, every fibre just seems to give up the tension and fear they had been storing up until 

the second his stupid British accent could be heard. 

“Fuck sake” Michael sighed, stepping back from the door and allowing the Brit to enter, in the darkness it was all Michael could do to notice the fresh ‘blood’ that covered 

Gavin from head to toe. The panic in Gavin’s eyes was still raw and he almost fell into the room, stumbling as he enters the small cell. 

“What happened?” Michael pushes, at Gavin’s side in a second concern in his voice. 

“They cut him right down his chest and the blood went everywhere.” Gavin took one last calming breath before giving a small chuckle. “The effects where great, scared the sugar plums out of me!” Gavin stands up straight, his eyes landing on Lindsay, who was only now gaining some composure. 

“Oh bollocks, I didn’t mean to scare you both!” Looking genuinely apologetic Michael releases another breath and smacks him on the shoulder, looking back to Lindsay. 

“You okay?” He asks his hand still rested on Gavin’s shoulder. He lets go in order to reach out a hand to Lindsay, which she takes thankfully. They stand in the room for only a moment before stepping out into the barely lighter hallways, their eyesight still hindered considerably. 

“Let’s go this way” Gavin starts moving forward before Michael calls him back. 

“Nah, man. We gotta find Geoff and stuff, make sure they weren’t next.” Michael, who is still holding Lindsay’s hand, heads in the direction they came from, urging Gavin to follow them. “Come on asshole.” Gavin reluctantly follows, but agrees that finding Geoff would be the best idea at that point. 

The hallways are increasingly terrifying, with an eerie atmosphere that doesn’t seem to want to rid itself from the trio. They walk in relative silence, allowing them to be immersed in the ominous air that continues to move around them as if it was their own dooming cloud. 

It didn’t take long before they reached the second office where they had stopped previously to split up.

“Geoff?!” Michael calls out, his voice echoing continuously down the four hallways spreading out in each direction. Michael waits for a moment before calling again, louder this time. A moment passes where Michael can swear he hears his own heart beating before there’s a faint answer in the far away distance; barely discernible as a sound, never mind as a series of words. Michael waits for a few minutes, the silence between the three of them making the minutes spread out into hours. Michael calls again and this time Geoff’s voice comes back to them much quicker and much louder. 

“We’re coming; don’t get your balls in a twist.” Michael breathes deeply; glad to hear that his boss’ voice still held the familiar sarcastic drawl to it. The three of them wait a few minutes and Jack and Geoff emerge from the darkness in front of them, looking untouched and rather bored. The tediousness that their eyes betrayed to them left the moment they recounted the three of them. There should have been four, and yet. 

“Where’s Ryan?” He demands, looking to Gavin for an explanation. 

“He was taken! Right in front of me!” Gavin explains, folding his arms. 

“So who did it?” Lindsay speaks up, looking around at everyone. “I didn’t leave Michael, and it looks like Geoff never left Jack” 

“Well...” Geoff says, frowning a little before looking over at Jack. “You did come up with the idea of us two splitting up” 

“Oh come on! I didn’t do it? You think I could have taken Ryan on? It was probably Gavin” Jack defends himself. 

Gavin’s eyes grow wide at the accusation and he shakes his head. 

“Un-bloody likely! Have you seen Ryan? The guys a giant! He’d squash me like a sausage!” 

“You’re the only one who could”, Michael points out before glaring jokingly at the bearded man, laughing before looking around their group, giving a shrug. “Doesn’t matter anyway, I think we should start heading upstairs again” 

There are no disagreements within the group so they head back, all five of them together. They laugh half-heartedly together, all while trying to figure out who could have possible taken Ryan and the others. 

Their eyesight had grown accustomed to the darkness by now, so when they passed the room they had been led into after coming down the stairs, the sight before them made them stop dead in their tracks. Lindsay’s hand came up over her mouth and she clamped it tightly there, Jack took a step back and when his back hit the wall he slid down, slumped, his eyes were wide with fear and anguish, a pain so raw that Michael felt the need to look away from him. Geoff seemed to go completely stiff backed, his training in the army taking over, he had become distant and far away all of a sudden, detached to reality. Gavin however turned to his left and threw up his lunch. Michael? Michael took a step forward and entered the small chamber, his foot stepping in a thick sticky substance, his shoes squelched beneath his weight. 

Before them lay their friend, their co-worker, covered in his own blood that had originated by a large, deep gash in his throat. The blood had stopped and had begun to dry under the fatal wound. His eyes were still staring out at them, directly to Jack, who was now cradling Lindsay in his arms, every bit as much in shock as she was, Gavin was still hunched over, dry-heaving. In his last moment’s Ray appeared to be laughing.

“Is he-?” Jack left the question open, his voice betraying the terror he felt. His question hung in the air and it seemed it was up to Michael to answer it. He kneels down, his knee landing in the thick black blood. He held his hand out and rested to fingers against the underside of Ray’s Jaw. There was no use in doing this, none at all. It was clear he was dead, and Michael didn’t need the continued absence of a beating heart to know that. 

“Yeah. He’s dead.” Michael stands up slowly, turning back to the group after closing Ray’s eyes. There’s no feeling, there’s no nothing in that moment, or the moments that follow. He looks down at his shirt and back to his group of friends, his fiancée and his colleagues. 

“This isn’t any murder mystery; this is straight out fucking murder.” Michael says, his voice deathly calm, his eyes increasingly steady. 

“Someone’s killing us off. One by one.” 


	6. Crossroads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So basically I took a little writing break to try and focus on studying for my upcoming exams but I needed to get my mind off of school and hopefully I can get the next two chapters out relatively quickly (Once a week, hopefully!)

The shock that Geoff’s words had brought the group had been insurmountable, the feeling almost tangible in the room. Michael leaves and Geoff follows suit without a second look at their comrade and work mate, saying a silent prayer in their minds for him. Gavin was sitting on his knees, wiping at his mouth to rid the vomit from his chin. Lindsay stands finally and takes her place next to Michael, looking strong and courageous, and yet her hands had been shaking, and had not ceased. She knew she had to remain calm, had to prove herself. Jack remained huddled back, and the fear in his eyes as he looked around the group was bone tingling and placed further fear within them all.

“We need to split up” Geoff says his voice calm and commanding, it held a finality that no one could dispute, and something in Geoff’s tone had brought Jack and Gavin to their feet, standing together. The five of them decide the directions they will take, not one of them doubled up with anyone and all left in their directions, Michael was to take the upstairs while the others looked around downstairs once more. Michael climbs the creaking stairs again before walking into the first reception they’d passed through earlier. The room had not lightened any since he had last been there, Michael’s eyes however, had been given the chance to adjust to the darkness, and he could now make out varying objects on the floor and on the desks. He moved forward, stepping in something sticky and wet, he looked down and sees a large pool of blood that seemed to have been dragged off into one of the branching rooms. Michael swallows and decides not to investigate any further. This had been where Caleb went missing and Michael did not feel the need to see anymore dead bodies than he had currently already seen that day.

Michael continues his searching, wandering the corridors. He occasionally hears a faint bleeping and the hair on his arm stands on end as he feels a chill running over his skin. The rooms were empty and more than a little disturbing. After an hour Michael gives up, sighing heavily as he wanders back to the reception. When Michael steps over the blood he can hear a noise coming from down the stairs to the floor below. Michael edges his way to the top step, leaning over the banister and straining to listen more closely and he swears he can hear a whistling; a piercing tune that can only just be heard over the thumping of Michael’s heart. The song carries long sinister notes, dipping low and ominous. Michael covers his mouth from making any sound, knowing that the song was becoming louder, approaching the steps. As the whistler approached the steps Michael backed away so as not to be seen. The whistling halters and then stops all together. There’s a giggle, a familiar little laugh that Michael has heard before. Steps, Michael can hear them start to move past the stairs, whoever it was had moved on.

Michael waits seconds, minutes before he can gather the courage to take the plunge down the steps. He looks both ways but decides to head back to the cross roads. He chooses a direction at random and starts to run down the hallway, checking the rooms as he goes, dashing aimlessly to find his friends. He stumbles and almost falls over his feet when he hears a sound from one of the rooms to his right. Michael moves forward just enough that the sounds become more prominent; sobbing. Someone was crying inside, a gut wrenching sob. Michael pushes the door open slowly and the old door screams in protest, almost willing Michael not to see who was inside. The door hits against the wall behind it with a sudden finality.

Jack. Jack leaning over something, his shoulders shaking up and down with grief, the emotion was plain in his sobs alone. Michael steps into the room, shocked by the sudden pause in Jack’s crying as he turns immediately to see who the intruder was. At the sight of Michael, fresh tears spring to his eyes and he tells him to leave, yells and screams as Michael that he shouldn’t be here.

“Jack! Jack! What’s happened?” Michael steps forward again, trying to make some sense out of Jack’s sobs. When Michael came to no avail he settled for investigating whatever he was lying over. Michael has to completely walk around Jack, his body cradling and protecting whatever it was. Michael doesn’t have to go far before he sees the legs, pulled up into an unmoving chest. Michael falls to his knees, succumbing to the inevitable at this point. “LET GO. JACK, YOU LET GO YOU PIECE OF SHIT.” Michael screams repeatedly, the same thing. Screaming into Jack’s face as he pulls and claws at his arms, leaving long grazes up and down his arms, Michael wrenches free the body and pulls the limp corpse into his arms. He wails, heart-wrenching and heart breaking sobs that make his body violently shake.

“Oh God, oh God. Oh God. Lindsay.” Jack cries, pulling further into himself. Michael continues cradle the body but begins to rock back and forth, blood beginning to stain his shirt heavily from the wound in his fiancée’s stomach. Michael could do nothing but mourn and grieve in this very second, and it all must be done in that single moment, because Michael has to start to move, no more hiding from this bastard. He’ll pay Michael thinks to himself, letting Lindsay go and standing up, blood on his shirt but vengeance on his mind.

“Jack, get the fuck up right now. You’re no fucking use if you’re like this.” Michael half yells, pulling his friend up by the arm, only half trying, if Jack didn’t want to be pulled up, he wouldn’t be and that was the truth of it, “Come on, let’s go.” Michael urges, leaving the room without a second glance, a second glance could prove fatal to Michael’s current rage. Jack had eventually ceased his incessant babbling long enough for him to become thoughtful.

“Someone from the agency either has a severe hatred for us, or their all fucking psychopaths” His voice continued to waver but it was better than whatever he was trying to mumble out between sobs earlier.

“That was my thinking. Do you think we need to find Gavin and Geoff?” Michael frowns a little bit. “Four is better than one and all”

“They don’t know yet. Gavin will be destroyed.” Jack. Stating the obvious, once again, Michael decided not to comment and powered forward. Four overpowered one and they needed all of it they could get a hold of. If they could take down Ryan, they could take down Gavin and Michael combined. They continue to walk in silence for a long while, looking out for their friends.

“Do we call them, do you think?” Jack broke the silence once more, his voice steadier and stronger now than it had been before. Michael seems to be going through the motions, his body following commands that he was not completely aware he was giving them. A deep ache in his chest reminded him that he was missing a large part of himself now and it filled him with uncontrollable rage. He nods to Jack and Jack starts to call on the pair of them and before long they are reunited again at he crossroads. Without a beat Michael tells them about Lindsay and as expected Gavin breaks down to his knees clutching his head, repeatedly crying out.

“Why? Why her?! Why Lindsay?! No, oh God, oh God no, not Lindsay.” His words come out fragmented and broken, and momentarily remind Michael of how he feels. However, Michael stands up straighter and regains what composure he had lost while watching Gavin break down. Geoff remained composed and held it together, although the hurt was evident in his eyes and in some ways Michael thought that the hidden pain was worse than Gavin’s outcry. A calm sadness leads to an uncontrollable anger, of which Michael needs to fuel himself.

“We need to fight back” Michael says, his words strong and filled with almost as much finality as Geoff’s had. Geoff nods and Jack looks particularly perturbed by the notion but does not reject it. Michael can feel the anger coursing through his veins like a fire licking its way over Michael’s body, it made him feel alive, however, and that wasn’t a bad thing considering the circumstances.

“H- How do we do that?” Gavin’s broken voice comes from the ground, tears stream down his face, mingling with blood and turning a pinkish colour as they fall from his chin. His face and his hair dishevelled from where he’d been pulling it previously. To Michael he seems pathetic, but he’s his closest friend right now, and he has to rely on him.

“We need to lure them out.” Michael says, glancing over to Geoff, making sure of his approval and when Michael receives a barely perceptible nod he continues. “And we need bait.” As if struck by the same thought at the same time Michael, Geoff and Jack all turn to Gavin who looks up at them with a look of quiet horror before slowly finding his way to his feet and nodding solemnly. Michael guesses that Gavin had thought they’d decided that they should let the weakest go first.

“You’re fast and you know more about pissing someone off than Mitt Romney” Michael tries to assure him before clapping a hand to his shoulder. Gavin looks up, and Michael can almost see a glint of agreement in his eyes. He nods again and takes a deep breath.

“What is it you want me to do?” Gavin says, his voice wavering but he keeps it under control.

“Do whatever you can to piss that motherfucker off. Lure him out here. Me, Michael and Jack will deal with the fucker then.” Geoff says, glassy eyed as he turns to Gavin. Gavin nods and runs in the opposite direction, calling out slamming his feet against the ground, trying to lure the bastard out.

“What do you want us to do?” Jack turns to Geoff and Geoff looks at the both of them and nods in two opposing directions.

“As far as I can tell the corridor to the left will end up meeting with Gavin and the other two end up meeting at some point too. I’ll meet Gavin and make sure the bastard isn’t trying to get him head on, you and Jack go the other way, make sure he isn’t hiding away in the corridor.” Geoff orders, nodding to Michael and Jack before running off in the other direction, Michael and Jack look at each other for a moment and turn around, Michael tells Jack to go to the corridor to their right and he’ll go to the rear corridor. Jack moves, placing a hand on Michael’s shoulder and wishing him a good luck. Michael returns the favour and runs down the corridor, checking and double checking rooms. In the end it takes about fifteen minutes of checking the rooms before he reaches the end of the corridor where he should have met Jack on his searches, Michael frowns and moves to the end of the corridor before turning the corner.

A figure looms over Jack’s body, an axe in hand as they repeatedly jam it into Jack’s body. Over and over again, blood sprays from Jack’s body and a black pool begins to form beneath Jack as his strangled cries go amiss with every repeated swing of the axe into his exposed entrails.

“HEY” Michael screams, shocking the attacker into running. There’s no light and it’s impossible to make out anything of the attacker other than that they’re male and fit, judging by the speed they’re running at. Michael struggles to keep up. He watches the figure disappear behind a corner and Michael pounds harder against the floor and turns the same corner, only he stops when his body collides with something else and briefly it occurs to Michael that it was a who and not a what that he’d ran into. Michael scampers to his feet before pulling the other body up by the cuff of their shirt.

“Michael!” Gavin squawks, his eyes wide with fear as he stares at Michael’s raised fist that he didn’t remember balling or even lifting for that matter.

“Where did he go?!” Michael cries, throwing an accusing finger into Gavin’s chest.

“What are you talking about Michael? No one came this way! I came back to find you and the others when I couldn’t find the bloody guy” Gavin frowns, fear still tangible in his eyes. “No one ran down this way, I promise.”

“They got Jack, I saw him. I saw him Gavin. I didn’t make that up!” Michael half screams.

“Jack’s dead?” A voice calls from behind the both of them and when Michael and Gavin turn around they see Geoff. Their kind-hearted and easy going boss filled with a new rage that Michael had never seen in a person before, he had only tasted it briefly after Lindsay died, but this. This wasn’t just anger, this was personal and Geoff was going to kill whoever it was killing them one by one and Michael would bet his life on it.


	7. Mogar The Not-So-Mighty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael discovers the murderer.

Michael and Gavin stood side by side as their boss seethed, and if this had been a cartoon, there sure would have been smoke tumbling from Geoff’s ears and nose. To say he was furious was to say that Ray was an alright gamer. 

“ _Caleb, Ryan, Ray, Lindsay_ and now _Jack_ ” Geoff managed to pass the words through gritted teeth, his body locked and tense. Michael was scared of the man in front of him, positively _terrified_ of the man who normally gave off an air of lazy joy.

“That’s five out of eight of us” Michael murmured, the anger that had flared in Michael earlier had dissipated when he saw the pure untainted _fury_ of their kind-hearted boss and for a moment Michael was convinced Geoff had lost his mind, that it was fractured and broken and that – just maybe – it had been Geoff to murder their friends. The moment the thought entered his mind he shoved it back, covering it up with something far more logical. Well, at least more logical than their boss murdering his employees. Michael glances back to Gavin, catching the concern passing across his face. Michael frowns before Michael took a cautious step towards his boss, his hands held up in a small sort of surrender.

“We’ll get the bastard that did this.” Michael assures him, a wickedness crossing his face. He wouldn’t let anyone away with killing his friends, his co-workers. His family. Geoff looked at Michael for a moment as if he didn’t know who he was and then agreed, releasing a deep breath. The tension still held him though, and Michael did not think to relax around his unstable boss right now. Geoff looked between Michael and Gavin for a moment before taking a glance down the hallway Michael had ran down, not being able to see the hacked remains of his old friends, but the edge of a pool of black blood. Geoff turned back and stormed down another hallway, making as much noise as possible, angry and dangerous. Gavin shoots Michael a frightened look, one Michael had never seen on his face before, Gavin looked oddly like a deer caught in the headlights and he was paralysed, unable to move.

“Are we splitting up too, asshole?” Michael huffed, turning to face him directly, crossing his arms over his blood soaked shirt. Gavin looked uncertain but gave a perceptible nod before turning on his heal and leaving. Michael frowned after him and turned the frown down the way Geoff had gone too. Michael was alone now, and anger was bubbling slowly behind the surface. Michael followed a hallway that neither of the other two had taken, and one he had not ventured through. He walked with steady feet and an unsteady heart and mind. He was sure every step brought a new creak or a new squelch to his ears, but with every glance over his shoulder another lot of nothing would be seen. He huffed.

“Fucking masochistic bastard” he mumbled to himself, peeking inside of rooms, and lingering when remnants of previous owners remained, mainly odd stuffed toys and fraying paper that looked too fragile to handle. Now that Michael was alone, the murders came back to him now and he silently thought about his fallen friends, his fallen fiancée. It had been all a game, innocent enough and now...Michael didn’t want to linger on the thoughts for too long, but dealing with it head on could be the only healthy way. The whistling returned, the slow and eerie sound filling the hallways. Michael stood from his crouched position and left the room, trying to follow the sound as closely as he could without hinting at his own position. When Michael came to a cross-roads he waited for the sound to start again before taking the corridor to his left, following the sound closer now, straining to use this one sense more than the others. The whistling continued on in some unknown song that sounded way like a broken music player, sending shiver down Michael’s back and making his hair stand on end.

_“Wait till I get my fucking hands ‘round your neck_ ” Michael whispered under his breath, turning down another corridor. 

It wasn’t long until Michael heard signs of a struggle. The scuffling of feet and heavy breathing, the gripping of clothes and huffed breaths as skin connected with skin dangerously. Michael sped up and soon found the source of the scuffling. Geoff lay on the ground with a figure looming over the top of him, their fist connecting with Geoff’s face repeatedly, his attacker hidden from Michael’s view. Geoff’s face matted in blood and sweat clung to his beard and stained his cheeks. Blood poured from Geoff’s broken nose and the man on his chest seemed to take no notice of the blood, and if he did he revelled in it for his fist did not stop. Michael stepped forward just as Geoff seemed to be blacking out, his attacker taking no notice of the unconscious man or his burst knuckles. His footsteps connected harshly with the ground and the attacker whirled round, a manic psychotic grin plastered over pearly white teeth – marred only by blood, old blood stained his face, and new blood was scarlet on brown. Michael stood, shock filling every fibre in his body. The man in front of him had wild erratic light brown hair and had friendly – or what was once friendly – eyes. Michael stood in front of him, having stopped his advancement a foot away from the attacker. Gavin stared back at him, eyes wide and skewed with Gavin’s cocked head. The grin was unsettlingly wide and gruesome and Michael still could not comprehend the circumstance taking place in front of him.

_“No.”_ His voice was stern, Michael didn’t even think he’d said it at first before he realised that the man in front of him had not moved his lips, and that he was the only one who could have said it. “Gavin...why?” Michael again did not believe the words were tumbling from his mouth, he wasn’t even sure he was standing now, everything was spinning and the only thing that remained the same was Gavin’s smile. Michael shivered.

“Why? Why Michael? Does there have to be a why?” Gavin straightened his head and dropped the smile, his eyes gone hard and dangerous before taking a step towards Michael, standing flush against him. “Do you want to know how good it felt to immortalise that stupid fucking grin on Ray’s face?” Gavin smiled again, small and cocky, his eyes searching Michael’s face, looking for any reaction “Or how about how deliciously amazing the look of utter betrayal and loss on Lindsay’s face when her life drained in the blood that poured from her bod-“ and like that Gavin was on the ground next to Geoff, his nose satisfyingly broken. Michael vaguely noted the dull agony trailing its way up his arm from the movement. Gavin grinned through the blood and pulled himself from the ground.

“It was you from the beginning” Michael says, anger brimming beneath his skin. “You brought us here, you were in charge of the flash lights. You ushered us into rooms and split us up.” Michael mutters, his mind steadying itself for the inevitable realisation that was about to take place.

_“Of course I did._ How simple of you, I needed you to be wary of everyone else, I needed the blame on anyone but me. And it worked. You are all _so_ very _simple_ and manipulative.” At that Gavin grins widely again, the manic serial killer look brought back into his eyes.

_“Shut up. Shut up you bastard”_ Michael says through gritted teeth, his jaw clenched and his fists balled. Realisation had hit Michael fast and hard, and now anger similar to Geoff’s was bubbling in his stomach. 

“Don’t get too angry now, _Micoo_ ” He mimics, raising his voice an octave to mock the nickname. “I wouldn’t want to _hurt_ you now.” He laughs, high and long very Michael steps forward, throwing another punch. He had swung wide and Gavin had been anticipated the movement, his hand pulling something lightning quick from his trousers and thrusting upwards. Meeting Michael’s chest as he threw himself forward in order to punch Gavin, he was stopped short as a slow burning agony pooled around his stomach in the form of blood. “Now look what you’ve made me do.” Gavin murmured, almost berating Michael. “You were supposed to survive, my little Michael. My little boy. You were supposed to be mine and mine alone, and now...” He murmurs, his voice trailing off as he becomes distracted with something entirely mundane. “Now you’re going to die like the rest of them. I expected better of you, _Oh mighty Mogar._ ” He taunted, twisting the knife and watching curiously as Michael fell to his knees, crying out in pain while Gavin slowly dragged the knife from Michael’s body, elongated the amount of time it took to retrieve the knife from Michael’s stomach. Gavin’s fascination and joy heightened as he watched Michael cry out again pure and simple pain jaggedly escaping his lips. Gavin smirked, allowing blood to flow onto the knife before raising it to his nose, taking a long deep breath, inhaling the smell of Michael’s blood before laughing oh so bitterly before running his tongue along the sharp edge and smiling again before kneeling to be on the same level as Michael, moving his curls – which clung to his head in dry blood and sweat – from his face and caressed his face. “I could have had so much fun with you, Michael, and you’ve gone and ruined it. You ruined everything. Everyone died because of you and now, you’re going to die because of you’re own uselessness.” Gavin’s old friendly eyes and pearly teeth marred with blood was Michael last sight before he blacked out and never woke.


End file.
